The transportation provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 49 CFR Parts 27, 37 and 38, provide the minimum requirements for establishing special access to transportation for individuals with disabilities, such as the elderly or handicapped. The transportation provisions of the ADA state that revolving doors and turnstiles shall not be the only means of passage at an accessible entrance or along an accessible route. In particular, accessible gates designed to facilitate passage by a disabled person shall be provided adjacent to turnstiles or revolving doors at transportation facilities.
The transportation provisions of the ADA require that the floor or ground area within the vicinity of the accessible gate be level and clear, and the hardware required for the entire assembly of the accessible gate be no higher than 48 inches (1220 mm) above the floor. If the accessible gate has a closing mechanism, then the sweep period of the closing mechanism shall be adjusted so that, from an open position of 70 degrees from the closed position, the leading edge of the accessible gate will take at least 3 seconds to move to a point 3 inches (75 mm) from the closed position. In addition, the maximum force for pushing or pulling open an interior hinged gate shall be 5 lbs. (22.2 N).
Consequently, ADA compliant gate assemblies have been developed for use by individuals with disabilities. Generally, such gate assemblies include a controller assembly for controlling the operation of opening and closing the gate for disabled individuals. Existing gate assemblies typically have a controller assembly mounted in the floor so that the upper surface of the controller assembly is flush with or below the surface of the floor. Not only are such existing gate assemblies expensive to install due to their typical encasement within a concrete floor, but they must be installed at locations having plenty of floor space to allow for such sub-flooring encasement thereof. In addition, since the controller assembly is mounted below the surface of the floor, it is subject to possible corrosion due to water seepage into the controllers sub-flooring encasement.
Furthermore, conventional controller assemblies disposed beneath the surface of the floor utilize a Dor-O-Matic.TM. controller assembly, manufactured by Doro-O-Matic Inc. The Dor-O-Matic controller assembly typically comprises a substantially flat, oblong-shaped controller body and a drive shaft which extends perpendicularly outward from the controller body. These conventional sub-surface controller assemblies are typically disposed horizontal to the surface of the floor. Thereafter, the support shaft of the gate assembly is loosely coupled to the drive shaft of the Dor-O-Matic controller assembly by virtue of the weight of the gate assembly itself. This can cause misalignment of the support shaft and its associated gate with respect to the drive shaft of the Dor-O-Matic due to the support shafts movement within the female coupler used to connect the support shaft to the drive shaft of the Doro-O-Matic. Misalignment of the support shaft is extremely difficult to correct, especially when the controller assembly is encased beneath the surface of a concrete floor by means of a metal or wooden cover plate.
The unique vertically disposed Dor-O-Matic controller assembly which is mounted within the gate post of the gate assembly provides an above-surface controlling mechanism having a minimum footprint. Installation is limited to simple lag bolts which secure the base of the gate post to the floor, thus allowing for fast installation. The gate assembly according to the present invention complies with all ADA requirement concerning a smooth uninterrupted floor surface which negates the possibility of mounting the controller assembly on the surface of the floor. The entire controller assembly is protected against water damage due to it's above-ground location. Adjustments and servicing can be accomplished without requiring access to below floor mounted components. Finally, the angular alignment of the gate assembly with respect to the closed or latched position of the gate in the opposing solenoid driven latching mechanism disposed in the opposing latch post can be readily altered by the disposition of a novel centering plate disposed about the stationary support shaft disposed in the gate post, utilizing a pair of alignment screws disposed therein.
Accordingly, the present invention positions the controller assembly above the surface of the floor while complying with the transportation provisions of the ADA. Thus, by positioning the controller assembly above the floor surface, the gate assembly is easy to install and maintain, and the controller assembly is above the typical water level to avoid water damage.